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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. mug — a face
  3. present — there
  4. mug — to rob
  5. present — the time now
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. club — for dancing
  9. wind — moving air
  10. club — a group
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. bat — the animal
  13. game — wild animals
  14. wind — moving air
  15. club — for golf
  16. present — a gift
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. pound — a weight
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. game — a match
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. vault — a safe
  24. mug — a cup

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com